If you’ve seen other posts besides that popular one here on my blog, then you’ll notice that I love me some tri-tip. My favorite way to cook up some tri tip is to rub it, smoke it, and then sear it in a cast iron skillet until medium/medium rare. No marinades, nothing fancy. That is, until now.

Teriyaki Makes for a Good Marinade

I like to marinade steaks every now and then, but usually buying a pre-made marinade and letting that do the job. Since its always fun to create your own recipes at home, I decided to work on a marinade with teriyaki. After a few tweaks, I made a teriyaki marinade that became a hit in my house!

Ingredients used for the homemade teriyaki marinade.

For this teriyaki marinade, I used mostly items you may already have in your kitchen: soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, onion powder, brown sugar, and an orange. The last item, ginger root, you may need to get at your local grocery store.

Putting it Together

Putting the recipe together is pretty simple. First, get a gallon-sized plastic storage bag and open the top. Second, dump in the liquids, being a 1/2 cup of soy sauce (or low sodium soy sauce if you wish) and 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce. Next, put in 1 tablespoon of brown sugar and 1/4 teaspoon of onion powder.

The last couple of ingredients, garlic and ginger, can be done in different ways. With the one clove of garlic, you can either mince it (you can buy a jar of already minced garlic for fairly cheap) or smash the clove and put it in that way. I say smash it so the juices inside the clove will come out into the marinade.

The ginger can be done with the ginger root by shaving off the skin (to throw away) and then dicing up about 1 or 1 1/2 teaspoons worth to put in the marinade. If you can’t find ginger root, or don’t want to take the time to shave it and dice it, then using 1/4 teaspoon of ground ginger will suffice. Why the smaller amount of ground ginger? Because ground ginger is more concentrated in flavor than the fresh root itself.

Ingredients in the bag. To the fridge!

Now that the ingredients have been mixed in the bag, take your trimmed tri-tip and place it in the bag, seal it, and let it sit in the fridge for about six hours. The marinating process is more about adding flavor to the meat and six hours should be good enough for a thicker cut like this.

Cooking the Meat

Tri tip sliced against the grains.

When it comes to cooking the tri tip, I prefer a reverse sear. In a nutshell, this means slow cooking it first and then searing to finish it off. I like to give it some smoke flavor (usually hickory or pecan) at 225-250F until internal temp reaches about 128F, which takes roughly 60 to 75 minutes. Then I put it in a pan with avocado oil (great for high temp cooking), garlic butter, and rosemary and sear for 1-2 minutes on each side until internal temp reaches 135-140F. While I usually like my steaks medium rare, I like the tri tip on the line of medium rare/medium. Call me crazy, but the body wants what the body wants!

After the meat is done searing, put it on a cutting board and let rest for 20-30 minutes before slicing. This will let the meat juice up and have better flavor when you finally dig in. I also recommend slicing the meat against the grain to get a better bite. Tri-tip is unique in that the grains go different directions near the middle, so be on the lookout for that. I recommend studying the direction of the grains prior to cooking. The marbling in the meat will help guide you for later.

Keep in mind this teriyaki marinaded BBQ tri tip recipe isn’t exclusive to this cut of meat. Feel free to use it for other meats as you wish!

The Recipe!

Yield: 6 servings

Teriyaki Marinated BBQ Tri tip

Prep Time6 hours

Cook Time1 hour30 minutes

Additional Time20 minutes

Total Time7 hours50 minutes

Ingredients

1 tri-tip roast

1/2 Cup soy sauce

1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 Tablespoon brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

1 clove garlic (smashed or minced)

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Instructions

Trim silver skin off of tri tip. Set aside.

In a gallon-sized resealable bag, pour in soy sauce, Worcester sauce, brown sugar, onion powder, garlic, and ginger. Seal and mix. Open bag and put tri tip in. Seal bag, mix again and place in refrigerator for six hours.

Preheat grill/smoker to 225F on indirect heat, using hickory wood for smoke flavor. Remove tri tip from bag and place meat directly on grill. Cook for 60-75 minutes or until internal meat temp reaches 128F.

In a cast iron skillet, pour in avocado oil to cover inside of pan. Heat on a separate grill surface or burner at high heat. When desired heat is reached, place garlic butter and rosemary in pan right before cooking the meat.

Sear meat for 1-2 minutes on each side. Remove from skillet and let rest on cutting board for 20-30 minutes on before slicing.

Notes

This teriyaki marinade can be used for other meats as well, so no need to limit it to this tri tip recipe!

If using ginger root instead of ground ginger, remember the ground ginger is much more concentrated. Up the ginger root to 1-1 1/2 teaspoons.

Tri tip has two separate grains or direction the muscle fibers go. It's best to check the tri tip before cooking to see where the grains split directions. That way, you can better slice against the grain and have a better bite.

This post is sponsored by the Certified Angus Beef ® brand in conjunction with a social media campaign through Sunday Supper LLC. All opinions are my own.

Are you interested in making homemade brisket pastrami? Or looking for a new recipe? I’m guessing its either one, otherwise you might be here because you are either a super loyal fan (hi mom!) or a bot. Anyway, making this recipe for homemade brisket pastrami was a fun process from start to finish, from making the brine to that glorious moment when you slice into the finished product five days later.

What’s the difference between pastrami and corned beef?

Pastrami and corned beef look similar, usually come from the same cut of beef (brisket), and go through a brining process. But the main difference is how they are cooked. While corned beef is usually boiled then simmered until done, pastrami is smoked (and, as in this recipe, wrapped near the end and cooked on a higher heat).

Trimming the brisket

Most recipes call for a five pound brisket flat. I tend to find them to be bigger at my local butcher who sells Certified Angus Beef. The one I used for this recipe (and in these pictures) was close to nine pounds! That just meant more homemade brisket pastrami for me!

Brisket all trimmed up.

Not a ton of trimming to do on this one, just trimming off the silver skin on one side (which can take a little while) and leaving the fat side mostly the same, which mine came trimmed down to 1/4 inch mostly (if you want details on how to trim a brisket, check out this blog post).

Preparing the brine

The process of curing the meat starts with making an awesome brine. A simple brine consists of kosher salt and sugar mixed in water, but brining for homemade brisket pastrami requires more ingredients to help with the curing process. For this brine, I use kosher salt, sugar, brown sugar, honey, Prague powder #1, ground black pepper, garlic, and pickling spice. Speaking of pickling spice…

Brining ingredients.

If you have researched other homemade brisket pastrami recipes, you will see a lot of them have coriander seed, mustard seed, allspice, peppercorn, chili peppers, and bay leaves. Pickling spice combines all of these ingredients, saving you from the need to buy all of these spices separately. If you can’t find this at your local grocer, you can always head to Amazon like I did.

Combine all of these ingredients with two quarts of water in a large pot and heat to a boil. Keep it this way until the salt and sugars have dissolved, which should take about five minutes. Once those two ingredients have been dissolved, add two quarts of ice water to the pot to cool it down. We do this so the meat doesn’t cook while brining, thus ruining the whole dang thing. Experts say the water should be about 40 degrees Fahrenheit, so it’s a good idea to aim for a temp in that range.

Adding the pickling spice to the brine.

Pour the brine into your bucket or whatever container is large enough to submerge your brisket in a gallon of brine. While I do have a standard, five gallon bucket I use for brining poultry, I went to the store and bought a flat, rectangular storage bin that was big enough to hold a brisket flat and it worked great. Keep the brisket in the brine for five days, flipping over each day.

Brine time!

Time to smoke this stuff!

Now that you have exercised patience over the last five days, the time has come to exercise more patience and smoke this brisket pastrami! Preheat your grill/smoker to 275F using indirect heat. I used oak wood for this one because I like the flavor of that smoke with the brisket.

Brisket getting that oak smoke.

While the grill is heating up, make sure to rinse off the brisket thoroughly when you pull it out of the brine. When that’s done, pat dry with paper towels. Now smother some spicy brown mustard and apply a simple beef rub, even one that is a little heavy on the pepper. Once that is done, put on the smoker and let it ride for five hours or until the meat reaches an internal temp around 160F. I like to use the Thermoworks Smoke (as well as the Signals) to monitor temps while I am away.

When you’ve reached that point (five hours of smoke or internal temp of around 160F), get a large cutting board and lay out a couple of sheets of aluminum foil that are large enough to wrap the brisket. Take the cutting board with the foil sheets laid out to the grill, remove the brisket from the grill and place on the foil. Wrap tightly, crank up the heat to 325F, and place the wrapped brisket back on the grill.

Wrap in foil and crank up the heat!

Let cook until the internal temp reaches around 195F, then remove the brisket pastrami from the grill, place on your cutting board and open up the foil halfway, then let rest for about 30 minutes before slicing.

Finally! Time to eat!

It is important to let meat rest after cooking so the juices can build up inside and enhance the flavor. To get the best bite, slice your homemade brisket pastrami against the grain, which will likely be at a diagonal angle as seen in the picture at the top of this post.

Here’s another shot of that sliced homemade brisket pastrami.

You can either eat the slices as they are or make some epic homemade brisket pastrami reuben sandwiches by taking said slices and putting them on a sandwich with thousand island dressing, sauerkraut, and melted Swiss cheese all in between a couple of slices of toasted rye bread. So. Dang. Good!

Homemade brisket pastrami also makes some killer reuben sandwiches!

The recipe!

Homemade Brisket Pastrami

Making pastrami at home is so much better than store-bought! While it takes five days to brine, and another seven hours to cook, it's actually a fun process from start to finish. You'll be so glad you did!

Prep Time35 minutes

Cook Time7 hours

Total Time7 hours35 minutes

Ingredients

1 brisket flat (size varies)

FOR BRINE

1 gallon water (2 quarts for cooking, 2 quarts ice water)

1 1/2 Cup kosher salt

2 Tbsp honey

1 Tbsp garlic, minced

1 Tbsp Prague powder #1

3/4 Cup sugar

1/4 Cup brown sugar

1/4 Cup pickling spice

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

AFTER BRINE

1/3 Cup spicy brown mustard

1/4 Cup salt & pepper rub

Instructions

In a large pot, combine two quarts of water, kosher salt, honey, garlic, Prague powder #1, sugar, brown sugar, pickling spice, and ground black pepper. Bring to a boil and cook until salt and sugar granules have dissolved. Remove from heat and add two quarts of ice water.

Pour cooled down brine into container, put in trimmed brisket, put on lid. Place in fridge for five days.

When ready to cook, preheat grill/smoker to 275F. Take brisket out of brine, rinse and pat dry. Apply spicy brown mustard followed by salt and pepper rub.

Place brisket on grill/smoker and cook for five hours or until internal temp reaches around 160F. Double wrap brisket in foil, place back on grill and turn up temp to 325F. Cook until internal temp reaches the 190-195F range.

Smoked New York Strip streak with smoked buttery shrimp is a recipe for Valentine’s success!

Note: This post is sponsored by the Certified Angus Beef ® brand in conjunction with a social media campaign through Sunday Supper LLC. All opinions are my own.

When Valentine’s Day comes up, Mrs. Learning to Smoke and I like to stay home for dinner and avoid the crowds. You best believe I work the grill for these occasions! I tend to do some sort of surf n’ turf and it is a hit every year. With that “special occasion” feeling in mind, I share with you this dinner idea for two that is certain to be a winner for you and special someone (or if you are alone on Valentine’s and are very hungry for two full plates. I don’t judge). For this post I have teamed up with Certified Angus Beef to make this reverse seared New York Strip steak and smoked buttery shrimp (which is a recipe that is also on my website).

What is reverse searing?

Reverse searing is slow cooking the meat first and then searing to finish it off.

For those of you that follow me on Instagram (@learningtosmoke), you will see that I frequently preach the gospel of reverse searing steaks. With a traditional sear, you crank up the high heat on the grill/skillet and cook both sides of the steak on the outside, then throw it in the oven to let it finish cooking on the inside. When you reverse sear, you slow cook the steak first and THEN sear to finish. Since this is a barbecue page, you best believe I love to smoke the steak using indirect heat on the grill. Doing this lets me infuse that wood smoke flavor into the steak before searing to lock in those juices and create that tasty, savory crust on the outside.

If the traditional sear is how you have always done it and don’t want to change, that’s fine. But if you’re willing to try new things and enhance the flavor of your steak, then give reverse sear a try!

Choosing the right New York strip steak

Seasoned New York Strip steaks. They have some decent marbling, too.

The New York strip steak comes from the short loin of the cow and is a tender, leaner cut. When looking for a flavorful New York strip steak (or any steak for that matter), make sure to pick the one (or two in this case) that have the most fat interwoven into the meat. Unlike the hard fats on the outside of the steak, these intramuscular fats render into the meat and add some juicy flavor. Also, the thicker the steak the better. Don’t settle for anything less than one inch because that’s just an appetizer.

Reverse sear the New York strip steak

Now that we’ve covered what it means to reverse sear (for more info on the subject check out my Reverse Searing 101 post) and you have your New York strip steak picked out, let’s get started!

Before prepping the steaks, I like to get my grill/smoker going with indirect heat so it can get up to the desired temps in the interim. I usually go 225F for steaks, but since I’m using my grill for both the steak and the shrimp, I aim for 250F.

For this steak, I’m combining three seasonings: 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder. I put them in a small container and mix. Then I grab some with my fingertips and sprinkle on the New York strip steak. I flip the steak over and repeat the process.

When the grill is up to temps (or at least close), I open it up and lay the steaks on the grill grates and let the smoke and low heat do their magic. For smoking wood flavor on steak, I like oak, pecan, or hickory. The length of time to cook varies on size and thickness. Since these were one inch at 250F, they took about 40 to 45 minutes to get to around 130F.

Reverse seared and resting before slicing.

Now that this part is done, it’s time for the sear! I love searing in the cast iron skillet because the the entire surface of the steak will get touched and develop that crust, which adds flavor. Speaking of crust and flavor, another reason I like searing in a cast iron skillet is that adding extra ingredients into the skillet will enhance the flavor of your steak even more! I’m going with a Tablespoon of butter, a clove of garlic, a sprig of rosemary, and a sprig of thyme. Give the steak about two minutes on both sides and that should do the trick!

Rest then serve

An underrated part of cooking steaks is letting the meat rest before serving. This gives the meat time to relax and let juices settle in. Wait about 10 to 15 minutes before slicing. It will be worth it I promise.

The smoked buttery shrimp!

Smoked buttery shrimp will rock your world!

We can’t forget the other half of this dynamic duo: the smoked buttery shrimp! This shrimp recipe has been my most popular recipe on my website for a while now. Combining the shrimp with five other ingredients, and a little smoke from the pecan wood, these turn the shrimp from Clark Kent into Superman!

Six ingredients, starting with the shrimp

The shrimp I buy in the fresh seafood section of my local grocery store comes with the vein removed along the back (shell split along the back to remove vein). When getting it ready for this recipe, I like to leave the tail on. It’s like a little shrimp handle for me and I think provides a nice aesthetic, as well. With that said, get an 8×8 foil pan and start lining the de-shelled (and de-veined) shrimp in the pan. Since we hare doing 15 shrimp, I do three rows of five.

The five remaining ingredients

Ready to hit the grill for some low n’ slow action! (After the Rosemary gets put in there, of course).

I melt a stick of butter in a separate bowl and mix a clove of minced garlic with it, then pour the mixture into the foil pan, covering the shrimp. Next I sprinkle some of my favorite rub on the shrimp (feel free to use your favorite rub for these, too. Or a simple salt and pepper mix will do) and then I squeeze a quarter of a lemon all over the pan. I finish with taking two sprigs of rosemary and laying them in between the rows of shrimp laid out.

Smoking that good stuff

Smoked shrimp on the grill at 250F for 25 minutes.

With the grill at 250F using indirect heat, I place the tray in and check it after 25 minutes. You will know when they are done when they turn from gray to orange. Keep in mind that if they overcook, they will be rubbery to the bite. If you want to get technical, use your digital thermometer and aim for about 120F internal for the best bite.

NOTE: you can smoke both the steak and the shrimp in the same grill at the same time as needed.

The video!

The recipe!

Reverse Seared New York Strip Steak and Smoked Buttery Shrimp

A twist on a classic surf and turf recipe by smoking the steak before searing and smoking the shrimp will rock your world and that of your special someone!

Prep Time15 minutes

Cook Time50 minutes

Additional Time10 minutes

Total Time1 hour15 minutes

Ingredients

For the steak:

2 New York strip steaks, at least an inch thick

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1 Tablespoon butter

1 clove garlic

1 sprig rosemary

1 sprig thyme

For shrimp:

15 large shrimp, uncooked

1/2 Cup butter, melted

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 lemon, squuezed

1 Tablespoon seasoning

2 sprigs rosemary

Instructions

Preheat grill/smoker to 250F with indirect heat using pecan wood. While that is happening, combine mix of kosher salt, pepper, and garlic powder into small bowl to mix. Sprinkle over both sides of New York strip steaks.

Place steaks in grill and let cook for 40 to 45 minutes. Remove when internal temps reach 130F.

In a cast iron skillet (up to searing temps), place butter, garlic clove, rosemary and thyme. Mix and place steaks in skillet, allowing two minutes of searing on each side. Remove, rest 10-15 minutes, then slice and serve.

For shrimp, rinse, de-shell and de-vein as needed. In a small bowl, melt stick of butter and mix in clove of minced garlic. Set aside.

Place shrimp in three rows of five in an 8x8 pan. Pour butter and garlic mixture in pan. Sprinkle rub on shrimp, then squeeze lemon and add sprigs of rosemary in between rows of shrimp.

Put pan of shrimp in grill at 250F for 25 minutes or until shrimp turn orange. Remove, rest for a few minutes, then serve.

Notes

You can cook the shrimp and steak in the grill/smoker at the same time. The recipe has been adjusted to help the process go quicker.

If you have extra time, let the seasoned steaks rest about 20 minutes before putting in grill. This helps the meat absorb the seasonings before cooking, enhancing flavor.

Feel free to substitute pecan wood for smoking wood of your choice.

Look for good marbling on New York strip steak. It is a leaner cut, so the more marbling you can get the better.

Trimming a brisket may not be the most fun thing to do in BBQ, but you’ll be glad you did.

To trim a brisket

Ah, brisket trimming. The joyful moments that come cutting off fat and silver skin. While it may not be the most exciting part of prepping a brisket, it is very important. You trim a brisket for multiple reasons: to enhance the smoke penetrating the meat, creating some tasty bark, and removing some thick portions of fat that don’t render.

There is one side of the brisket that has a bunch of fat on it, this is called the fat cap. The other side will have a lot less fat on it, but likely a bunch of silver skin. This tutorial will show you how to trim a brisket to maximize the experience.

Brisket anatomy

Before we go into the process of how to trim a brisket, I feel it is important for you to know the whole brisket, or packer cut, comes with two types of meat: the point and the flat. The point is the bigger chunk of meat that is covered under all of that thick fat. It is the softer, juicier portion of the cut and where burnt ends come from. The flat is the leaner portion that is long and thinner than the point. Here’s a visual to help:

The fat side of the brisket

With some other cuts of meat, you want a layer of fat so it will render into the meat and provide more flavor. With the fat cap on the brisket, a lot of that is hard fat that does not render. If left on, it will make the meat absorb less smoke flavor, not to mention the prime real estate for eating that bark that develops over the cook. Most folks won’t want to eat a mouth full of fat, so no need to keep so much of it on.

The fat cap does not render while cooking, so trim it down to about 1/4 inch.

You have probably heard much advice on trimming a brisket, some involving cooking fat side up over fat side down. This is a topic up for much debate, but we will side step that one right now (but for the record, I like to cook mine fat side down). Some say trim the fat cap down to 1/2 inch. Others may trim it off completely. I prefer to trim it down to roughly 1/4 inch. That means there are some spots of the brisket that don’t get trimmed, and that’s okay. Just know that you will do more trimming near the point than anywhere else.

The other side

The other side of the brisket will be much leaner and contain the flat with meat surface mostly exposed, with the exception of some small spots of fat and a lot of silver skin. I find I spend about half of my trimming time on the silver skin. The best way to trim this is by taking the tip of your boning knife and poking just barely under the silver skin and above the meat. I like to go across the grain while doing this and then moving the blade down the grain in a sawing-like motion.

How the brisket looks before you trim off the silver skin.

If you cut a little layer of meat under that silver skin, it’s nothing to freak out about. It still happens to the self-proclaimed experts. It’s a small price to pay to get that meat surface exposed for more smoke flavor and better tasting meat.

How the brisket should look after you trim the silver skin.

Between the point and flat…

Speaking of the point, there’s a thick layer of fat that separates it from the flat. You may be tempted to carve deep into that. If you go too deep you may end up getting to a spot where you should just separate the two. Going too far in and putting your mix of rub in that cavity you created may cause your meat surface in that spot to get all goopy and gross. Fight off that urge to cut deep into it and only go a little bit in, about an inch or so.

What about the sides of the brisket?

Don’t forget to trim the sides!

I think everyone who has trimmed a brisket before can agree that you will want to trim down the fat on the sides. The excess fat does you no good and robs you of some awesome meat bark for your end result. Square off the sides as best as you can.

Then there’s the little flaps of meat

You will discover when you trim a brisket that it will excess flaps of meat hanging off, usually some little, skinny flaps on the flat and small chunks on the point. These are usually the result of how they are cut by the butcher before packaging. As much as you want to capitalize on all the meat that the brisket provides, these thin, smaller flaps of meat will burn to a crisp during cook and serve you no value. Do yourself a favor and trim these off.

There you have it! You’ve successfully trimmed a brisket! If it didn’t go the way you had hoped, don’t worry. The main goal here is the flavor of the brisket, not how pretty it looks pre-cook. Keep consistent with the trimming and I promise you’ll get better!

I have never understood the obsession some people have with prime rib. I’m guessing it’s because the only time I’d see it was when I was a kid and my parents would take our family to some buffet restaurant and prime rib would be the main feature. And it usually wasn’t that great. As an adult I’ve had the desire to buy one to cook, but the price tag has been too high for me to try (especially with no prior experience cooking it before). Since I like to expand my horizons and try new things, I decided the Christmas holiday season was the time to give it a shot and do a smoked prime rib. And I’m so glad I did because it was AWESOME!

What’s the difference between prime rib and rib roast?

If you go to the butcher or meat department at your local grocery store, you may see a lot of rib roast or bone-in rib roast, but no cuts called prime rib. This is because the rib roast is usually described as the most desirable part of the rib section on a cow, or the “prime” portion. Hence, the name “prime rib”.

Prime rib or rib roast? Whichever you want to call it.

But doesn’t it have to be USDA Prime to be considered “prime rib”?

Nope. As described in the paragraph above, the term “prime rib” refers to the beef ribs in the “prime” section for meaty goodness, usually between ribs 6 through 12. But if you can find a USDA Prime rib roast, then it will have better flavor due to the increase in marbling (interwoven fat in the meat that renders when cooked).

To summarize, the rib roast IS prime rib.

Selecting a roast

I picked out a bone-in rib roast that had three bones and was a little over eight pounds. It came bound together with two strands of butcher’s twine (underneath the shrink wrap, of course). I asked the butcher to french the bones for me and they did it free of charge (keep in mind some butchers may charge a fee, so you may want to ask beforehand).

The bones have been frenched on this roast.

The “frenching” of the bones means to trim down some of the fat and meat around the bone to expose it and give it a more enticing look when cooked. This doesn’t affect the flavor of the meat, but it sure does look pretty.

Note that I got an eight pound prime rib (aka-rib roast) because I was feeding 10 adults and some kids (also note that I had some left over, too).

The process

I like to trim the layer of fat on the top of the roast. Feel free to leave it on if you wish.

Before I started prepping the prime rib I set my grill/smoker to 225F over indirect heat using pecan wood. You may want to allot about 10-15 minutes to get up to temps. Once I tended to the meat, the first thing I did was cut off the butcher’s twine because I wanted to trim the fat off the outside portion. Some folks like to keep it there but I decided to trim if off as a personal preference. Either way, I applied a simple rub comprised of kosher salt, ground pepper, and garlic powder on the rib roast.

After that, I smothered the roast in a compound butter comprised of garlic, herbs, parmesan cheese, and butter. I like to place a couple of sprigs of rosemary on top because I love how it pairs with beef. Then I take a couple of strands of butcher’s twine and tie it back up how it was before, tying the twine over the rosemary sprigs, too.

Rib roast covered in rub, compound butter, and a couple of sprigs of rosemary on top.

Once the smoker is up to temp, I place the roast on the grill bone side down. I like to use a digital meat thermometer, such as the Thermoworks Smoke, to gauge the internal temps throughout the process, making sure I don’t overcook it. I put the probe in the middle of the thickest portion of the roast.

Keep in mind the cooking time will vary per roast. This eight pound roast took just over four hours at 225F to get to an internal temp of 120F. When it hit that temp, I took the roast off, got the grill up to a roasting temp of 400F, and wrapped the roast loosely in foil while the grill gets up to the desired temp.

Now that the grill is at 400F, I unwrap the roast and place it back on the grill for another 15 minutes until my Thermoworks Smoke shows I’ve reached an internal temp of 132F. I expect there to be a little bit of carry over temp after the meat is removed, meaning the beef will continue to cook internally for a few degrees more. I like my steaks and roasts at 135F internal, which is good enough for medium rare.

Finally, I let the smoked prime rib rest for about 10-15 minutes before I slice. I do this to let the meat rest and build up juices inside for a better bite. Some like to slice the bones off at this point, but I like to make things difficult on myself and kept the bones on there while slicing. Didn’t matter. It tasted amazing anyway!

Resting about 15 minutes before slicing.

In closing, I’m happy I took the chance and did this smoked prime rib. I hope you take my advice and go for it, as well. Follow this recipe and I’m pretty confident you’ll find it better than your local buffet. And if you want to smoke something else to pair with this smoked prime rib, I recommend my smoked buttery shrimp recipe.

The recipe!

Smoked Prime Rib

Prime rib is the crown jewel to any holiday feast and adding some smoke flavor will help you win over any hungry crowd!

Prep Time15 minutes

Cook Time4 hours30 minutes

Total Time4 hours45 minutes

Ingredients

1 rib roast (5-8 lbs.)

1 1/2 Tbsp rub

2 rosemary sprigs

1 Cup garlic herb butter (recipe in notes)

Instructions

Preheat grill/smoker to 225F at indirect heat. Use pecan wood (or whichever smoking wood you prefer) for smoke flavor. While getting to the desired temp, prep the rib roast by removing twine and trimming off fat on top (optional). Apply rub (or salt and pepper) to rib roast, then spread garlic herb butter all over the meat surfaces. Add two sprigs of rosemary on top and tie two strands of butcher's twine over meat.

Place rib roast on grill and smoke for about four hours or until internal meat temp reaches 120 degrees. Remove from grill, placing roast in loosely wrapped foil while getting heat up in grill to 400 degrees. Place meat back on grill, roasting for 15 minutes or until internal meat temp reaches around 135 degrees for a medium rare finish.

Ever since I got into smoking meat, I’ve been told that burnt ends are the pinnacle of barbecue. To be honest, I never had much of an interest in making them. After waiting 12-14 hours of smoking a brisket, then letting it rest for at least another hour on top of that, I am not very keen to wait another 90 minutes to two hours burnt ends and to eat the meaty goodness I’ve labored (and sometimes starved myself) for.

I’ve had all sorts of good intentions to make them in the past. However, whenever I slice up the point of the brisket into cubes, they look so good already! Tender to the touch, those meat juices oozing out, the savory flavored bark on the outside, and that classic brisket smell my family and I have been taunted with for hours, I mean how can I wait any longer to eat?

When the brisket is done and smells sooo good, you’ll need to exert some will power to not eat it (well, at least the point).

Well, one day I decided to brave it. Exercising the determination of a cornered honey badger, I powered through the slicing of the point and tossed the meat cubes into a foil pan. Adding a few other ingredients, I put them back on the grill/smoker at 275F and after about 90 minutes, I had taken these meat cubes and turned them into something worth posting about!

I have tweaked with the ingredients here and there since then and I think I have figured out a pretty good recipe for burnt ends. Good enough that I feel confident sharing with you folks.

What are burnt ends?

Little nuggets of heaven. That’s what.

But how do you smoke a brisket?

Smoking the full brisket (also known as a full or packer) is a topic that could be covered over multiple postings in and of themselves (such as trimming the brisket, fat side up or fat side down, wrapping or no wrapping, etc.). In a nutshell, trim off some of the fat, rub with your favorite rub (or a simple 50/50 mix of salt and pepper), put on the grill/smoker at 250F using your favorite smoking wood (I prefer pecan, hickory, or oak). Let it ride until the brisket hits an internal temp in its thickest spot between 195F to 203F internal. Remove and let rest for about an hour before serving.

The slicing

Try to restrain yourself from gobbling these up before making them into burnt ends. Trust me, it will be worth it!

Now that we have briefly covered that, let’s get into the burnt ends! First off, take the finished brisket and separate the point and the flat. This is done by finding that thick vein of fat which divides the two portions of meat. Now that the point is separated, start cutting it into cubes, slicing about one to 1 1/2 inches apart. Place the cubes into a foil pan (I usually go with an 8×8).

The other ingredients

The lineup of ingredients to mix in the foil pan with the cubed up brisket.

With the cubes of brisket in the foil pan, add about one tablespoon worth of your favorite beef rub (or salt n pepper). After that, grab your barbecue sauce and pour on about a cup. Follow up with a teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce, two teaspoons of honey, four tablespoons of butter and three ounces of Dr Pepper or whichever cola you prefer (but seriously, Dr Pepper goes well with barbecue).

Trust the process

Wrapped up and cooking back on the grill.

Mix the ingredients together in the pan and wrap the top with aluminum foil. Preheat your grill/smoker up to 275F. Hopefully, you have done this during the prep so you have less time to wait. Once at the desired temp, put your foil wrapped pan on the grill and cook it for an hour.

After one hour, go back to the grill and remove the sheet of aluminum foil. Cook uncovered for another 30 to 60 minutes. We uncover at this point so all of the juices in the pan will start to reduce and help create some stickiness to the burnt ends themselves.

Unwrap the pan, mix up the ingredients a little bit, and cook for at least another 30 minutes.

You don’t want burnt ends to be too saucy because it wouldn’t be much different than just dumping BBQ sauce on cut up pieces of brisket. Let the mix of ingredients cook into the cubes. Its normal to have some juices still in the pan when they are done.

How will I know when they’re done?

Mmm…little nuggets of heaven!

Once the burnt ends have finished cooking uncovered, remove from off of the grill and let them rest for about 10-15 minutes. This will help some of the remaining sauce to thicken some and also let the meat relax so juices can build up a little inside.

The burnt ends will render like this when they are done.

To tell if they are done, I like to do the squeeze test. I take a cube and then squeeze down with some pressure. If it shreds apart, then they are cooked well. I also like to have my burnt ends be a little sticky to the touch.

The video!

Yep, I made a brief video of making burnt ends that pretty much explains everything I just told you. Maybe I should’ve led with this.

The recipe!

Brisket Burnt Ends

Brisket burnt ends are considered the holy grail of barbecue. Follow this recipe and make your own!

Prep Time15 minutes

Cook Time1 hour30 minutes

Total Time1 hour45 minutes

Ingredients

1 brisket point, fully cooked (point can be from full brisket)

1 Cup BBQ sauce

4 Tbsp butter

1 Tbsp rub

2 tsp honey

3 oz Dr Pepper

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Instructions

Preheat grill/smoker to 275 degrees

Cook the full brisket, separating the point and flat when done. Slice the point into 1 to 1 1/2 inch cubes and place in foil pan

In the foil pan, combine rub, BBQ sauce, Worcestershire sauce, butter, honey, and Dr Pepper with the brisket cubes. Mix in pan and put sheet of foil over it.

Place on grill/smoker and let it cook for one hour. Remove foil and cook uncovered for another 30-45 minutes.

Remove from grill, rest for about 10-15 minutes before serving.

Notes

**THE FULL BRISKET WILL NEED TO BE COOKED PRIOR TO MAKING BURNT ENDS**

After burnt ends have cooked for an hour and you unwrap the foil, feel free to drain some of the excess juices in the foil pan

Twiced smoked ham with a homemade glaze will make you a hit at parties (if you aren’t already)!

In this post, we are all about ham! Even though most of us serve up ham during the holidays or Easter, it’s a friggin’ shame we don’t cook ’em up more often. If you do it right and add your own personal flare to it, then you’ll want to cook these up more often!

Isn’t the ham already smoked?

Ham straight outta Compton…or the package. Whatevs.

When you buy a ham at the store, they usually come cured and smoked. If you wanted to, you could unwrap the thing and eat it as is. But you didn’t come here to do that, did you?

Why smoke it again?

Step one: getting that smoke flavor.

When you buy one of these precooked hams, they are already smoked. They usually come smoked with hickory flavor. Smoking it again allows you to add your own unique touch with such woods as apple, peach, or pecan. You may even want to smoke it with hickory wood to enhance that existing flavor. Besides, it sounds more flattering to your guests when you tell them you’re serving up “twice smoked ham”.

For starters…

Get your grill heated to 225F. As you’re waiting for it to get up to temp, take the ham out of the packaging and toss some of your favorite rub on it. You know that little glaze packet that comes in the package? Throw it out and make the one I have in this recipe! I’ll get to that later. Anyway, put the ham on the grill at 225F for two hours and then add some flavor to it!

Adding some flavor

The ingredients for that extra flavoring.

Truth is, you can smoke the ham on the grill as-is, but why not make it different than everyone else’s and add some flavor to it? After the ham has smoked for a couple of hours at 225F, put the ham in a foil pan (if you haven’t already) and then add a half cup of teriyaki sauce, a cup of orange juice, and half a can of Dr Pepper, pouring each over the ham as the liquids trickle down into a pool in the foil pan.

Adding some of that OJ flavor to cook into this ham.

Wrap foil over the ham and the pan, crank up the heat to 275F for another couple of hours or until internal meat temps reach about 140F.

After a couple of hours of smoke and pouring the liquids on, make sure to wrap in foil, turn up heat to 275F and cook longer.

Gettin’ glazed

As your twice smoked ham is approaching the 140F mark, start working on the glaze! At first, I was intimidated to make a glaze because it sounds like something creative culinary minds do. Then I decided to do that whole self-confidence thing and give it a try. I gotta admit this was fun to make! For this one, I decided to mix brown sugar, orange juice, teriyaki sauce, Worcestershire sauce, honey, chili powder, spicy brown mustard, ground cloves, and cinnamon together in a sauce pan. Apply medium heat, take off once it starts boiling, and let it sit a few minutes to thicken.

Mixing the glaze ingredients together to make…well, glaze.

If you read that whole sentence of ingredients and felt a little overwhelmed, I don’t blame you. When I see a lot of ingredients, I usually pass on the recipe and move on. A lot of this stuff you may already have in your kitchen, so you’re mostly there!

Back to the ham

Now that your glaze is ready, go back to the twice smoked ham and carefully pour the juices in the foil pan into another container for basting purposes later. Now that the ham sits all alone in the pan, make it rain glaze all over it until the sauce pan is empty. You’re gonna want that glaze to cook onto the ham, so I recommend putting it in the broiler for a few minutes to get that caramelized effect.

NOTE: if you happen to have a grill torch then you can do that instead. It’s more fun to do.

“What ham? Not the ham I just bought.”

The twice smoked ham glazed and begging to be eaten.

Let the twice smoked ham sit for a few minutes and then start slicing! Most hams are already spiral cut, but you can be a rule breaker and slice from the top-down.

NOTE: If you know this movie quote I used for the title of this section, then we can be friends.

The recipe!

Yield: 1 awesome ham

Twice Smoked Ham

Take that store-bought ham and smoke it again with wood flavor of your choice! Also, make a glaze that will taste much better than that packet you got in the package.

Prep Time10 minutes

Cook Time5 hours

Total Time5 hours10 minutes

Ingredients

1 pre-cooked, spiral-cooked ham (about 10 lbs)

1 Cup orange juice

1/2 Cup teriyaki sauce

1 Cup Dr Pepper

2 Tablespoons rub

FOR GLAZE

1 1/2 Cup dark brown sugar

1/2 Cup orange juice

3/4 Cup honey

1/4 Cup teriyaki sauce

1/4 Cup Dr Pepper

1 Tablespoon spicy brown mustard

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

Instructions

Preheat grill/smoker to 225F. Remove pre-cooked ham from packaging and apply rub. Put ham in foil pan and on smoker for two hours.

While on the grill/smoker, pour teriyaki sauce, orange juice, and Dr Pepper on ham, allowing juices to sit in pan. Wrap ham and pan in foil, turn up heat to 275F for at least two more hours or until internal meat temp reaches 140F. Drain juices from pan into separate container for optional basting.

In a small saucepan, combine ingredients for glaze and put on stove at medium heat, stirring occasionally. Cook until boiling. Remove from heat and let sit for a few minutes to thicken.

Pour glaze over ham, covering completely. Broil in oven for at least three minutes to caramelize glaze.

Another year, another BBQ essentials list! Not to say that the items I shared last time are completely obsolete, but I want to add to the previous list. Consider it an addendum to the previous BBQ Essentials list. Check out more products that I love to use when grilling and BBQing!

Thermapen Mk4

Don’t overcook food again!

For those of you that follow me either here on this website or on Instagram, you’ll know how much I swear by using a digital thermometer. I like to cook by temp, not time. Every animal has lived a different life, meaning the meat off of one animal may be tougher than another, which can lead to the same cut of meat cooking longer than another. With that said, I use my Thermapen Mk4 from Thermoworks on every cook I do. I get fast, accurate temps and backlit, rotating display that changes with the various angles I use to probe. And with how frequent I have used it over the past couple of years, I haven’t even had to change the battery.

Gloveworks HD Nitrile Gloves

The unique texture on these nitrile gloves helps provide a better grip, even when handling greasy food.

I’m constantly asked what kind of gloves I use in my video posts on social media. In my previous BBQ Essentials post, I mentioned nitrile gloves as a must-have. I still believe this and I have found a brand I have grown to love in Gloveworks HD. They have a great grip and have had some great customer service from these folks, which goes a long way in my book. I love using the black gloves, but they also have other colors such as blue, orange, and neon green.

Lodge Cast Iron Skillet

Smoked tri-tip reverse seared in a cast iron skillet is my favorite way to cook this cut of beef.

I love to reverse sear steaks and roasts. While the flame-kissed sear you get directly on the grill grates makes for some beautiful culinary aesthetics, I prefer to sear in a cast iron skillet for two reasons:

I get that seared crust over more of the meat surface in a skillet as compared to only where the grill grates touch

I can add other ingredients such as butter, rosemary, and garlic for the meat to sear in and capture that extra flavor

My Lodge cast iron skillet has been used plenty over the flames and has gotten better with each cook. And for that, I give them my super-duper-important seal of approval! I recommend the 12″ skillet because it can accommodate my tri-tips and other big hunks of meat. I have other sizes of these skillets for cooking other dishes in and love them.

Chef Shamy Garlic Butter

That garlic butter from Chef Shamy making these NY Strip steaks more flavorful!

Remember how I talked about using ingredients to throw in the cast iron skillet when searing? I consolidate the butter, herbs, garlic, and parmesan all into one with the Chef Shamy Garlic Butter (wow, that sentence sounded like a paid endorsement. Don’t worry, it’s not). I have made my own compound butter and while it’s fun to do, I also like to how this blend is done and having it readily available at the last minute. The flavors lend themselves great to searing steaks, spreading on poultry, making garlic bread, and other good stuff.

Anova Precision Cooker

Sous vide cooking your steaks before searing on the grill is an excellent way to make your steaks! (pic courtesy of PCmag.com)

One look at this device and you’re probably thinking to yourself: what on Earth does this indoor device have to do with BBQing outside? Well, the sous vide method of cooking is great for getting the food evenly cooked before searing on the grill. There. Tied it in. Seriously though, the Anova Precision Cooker with WiFi (there’s also a Bluetooth version available) will take you from a really good cook to a great one! Wondering what sous vide is? To summarize, its a method of cooking food in a tightly sealed bag submerged in temperature controlled water. The Anova Precision Cooker lets you control the temp of the water it cooks in, so you don’t overcook it.

A few months back I cooked a steak sous vide using the Anova and then seared on the grill afterward. Have you heard of “fork tender” steak before? Try “spoon tender” for this one! That’s right, I straight up cut this one with a spoon!

What is a reverse sear?

In case you need a refresher, a traditional sear is when you start out cooking food at a high heat, which usually begins around at 500F. Once the meat has been seared on both sides, then it is cooked in the oven until it reaches the desired internal temp. A reverse sear is a method of cooking meat at a low temperature first, usually by smoking or sous vide, then finishing off on a high heat surface.

Crust and juices equal a dynamite steak (or tri-tip roast in this instance).

How do you do that voodoo you do?

With smoking, I like to get my grill/smoker to 225-250F using indirect heat and leave the beef or pork chops/steaks in until it reaches an internal temp of 125F (length of time to get there depends on thickness of meat), then move to either a grill above 500F or cast iron pan on the stove (or grill) at high heat. I do about two minutes on one side and then flip the meat over for another two. Doing this creates a flavorful crust on the outside of the meat due to something called the Maillard reaction. The Maillard reaction is a chemical reaction between amino acids and reducing sugars that gives browned food its distinctive flavor. I like my beef medium-medium rare, so I wait to reach an internal temp of 130F (around 137F for pork) before removing.

This tomahawk ribeye got the reverse sear treatment. Crust=Flavor!

If starting your cook with the sous vide method, you’ll want to seal the meat and seasonings in an airtight bag (usually done with a vacuum seal) and then place in a warm pot of water that is around 125F. Once again, thickness of the cut of meat matters. For a rule of thumb on how much time to spend cooking it, check out this excellent post from Serious Eats.

Searing in a cast iron skillet is another way to finish off a steak.

Why should I reverse sear?

Quality. Flavor. Tender. Juiciness. Crust. Go with the reverse sear and you’ll find your steaks suddenly rival those at your favorite steakhouse. It is more cost effective than going out for steak, nor do you have to put on pants and go out in public. I’m just sayin’.

If you haven’t noticed from most of the recipes on my website, I like simple. That means I try to maximize flavor with the fewest ingredients possible (mostly. Every once in a while I like to expand my horizons). Lucky for you, this is another one of those recipes. Pork tenderloin may sound fancy and expensive, but its quite affordable. And this smoked BBQ pork tenderloin will provide you quite the bang for your buck!

Where does the tenderloin come from?

The pork tenderloin is a cut of meat that comes from close by the mid-to-lower spinal area of the animal. While most muscles are used for movement, the tenderloin is used for posture. The tenderloin is considered the most tender part of the pig because this muscle isn’t used as much as the others.

Tupac? No, I said “two-pack”!

When at the meat department of your local grocery store, don’t be surprised to see pork tenderloins come in a two-pack. It’s quite common. These cuts of pork typically weigh between 3/4 lb. to 1 1/2 lb. each and are relatively cheap, so they put two in the package to make it worth selling.

Removing the silver skin

When taking the tenderloins out of the package, you’ll notice a thin, shiny layer on some areas of the meat. This is what is known as silver skin, which was meant to hold the muscle together while in the pig. Since the pig doesn’t need it anymore, feel free to peel it off. You’ll want to because leaving it on can affect the bite of the tenderloin and the meat’s ability to absorb the seasoning you put on it.

Trimming off the silver skin.

To remove the silver skin, it would be best to use a boning knife. This blade has a little curve to it near the tip as it thins out, making it easier to poke just under the layer of silver skin and push through until it comes out the opposite side of the shiny, filmy stuff. Then you start pushing the sharp side of the blade forward in a gentle, back-and-forth sawing motion until the silver skin is removed. Repeat this with other sections of silver skin until removed. This should only take a few minutes.

Need a visual? Here’s a video of me trimming a pork tenderloin!

The easy part

Now that you have made it past that part, it’s all downhill from here (not the “downhill” as in, it’s gonna suck. But the “downhill” as in, it gets easier. Maybe I should’ve just said “it gets easier” instead of typing all of this in parentheses. Oh well.)!

Next step is to season the tenderloin with your favorite blend of spices. I don’t like to coat it to heavily, but put on an adequate amount until you get the flavor you want out of the seasoning/rub. That’s it for this step!

Trimmed, seasoned, and ready for the smoke!

Take the tenderloin out to your grill/smoker that you have already got up to the 240-250F temperature on indirect heat and place it on there. As far as smoking wood goes, I like apple wood for this one.

With the pork tenderloin being relatively small, it cooks pretty quick. Usually about 45 minutes is all it takes. After 30 minutes of being on the grill, lift the lid and apply some of your favorite BBQ sauce and honey on the tenderloin with a basting brush.

Brushing up these tenderloins with BBQ sauce and honey.

Close the lid and come back in about 15 minutes.

When is it done?

Using a digital meat thermometer, such as the Thermapen Mk4 from Thermoworks, insert the probe in the middle of the thickest portion of the tenderloin to gauge when it’s done. The reason for this is to make sure it doesn’t undercook and you don’t get yourself sick. Look for a finishing temp of 145F.

It’s done!

Why 145F? Isn’t that undercooked? Have you been taught that 165F is when pork is done? If you’re like me, then you’ve been taught this same thing for most of your life. This rings true for ground pork, but for most other cuts, such as pork steaks, chops, roasts, and even tenderloins, the USDA recommends a minimum of 145F, which is good for a medium finish. This keeps the meat juicy and from drying out at the 165F temps. Since the meat has a little carry over temp, feel free to pull off a couple of degrees lower if you wish.

Rest, slice, and serve

Now that the meat is off the grill and on a cutting board, let it rest about 10 minutes before slicing. Doing so allows it to relax and let the juices start to build inside. After this short wait, start slicing into 1/2″ to 1″ slices. You’ll notice how tender and juicy it is, as well as the sign of a nice smoke ring inside. These are signs that you have done this thing right. Sample one or two (or five) to ensure they are good enough for your family or guests before sharing with them.

The recipe!

Smoked Pork Tenderloin

Leaner. Cheaper. And when cooked to the right temps, it makes for a tender, tasty meat you can feel less guilty about devouring!

Prep Time5 minutes

Cook Time50 minutes

Total Time55 minutes

Ingredients

1 pork tenderloin

2 Tbsp rub/seasoning

2 Tbsp BBQ sauce

1 Tbsp honey

Instructions

Preheat grill/smoker to 250F over indirect heat with apple wood

Trim pork tenderloin by removing silver skin. Apply rub.

Put meat on smoker and cook at 250F for 30-35 minutes. Apply honey and BBQ sauce with basting brush. Close lid and let cook another 15 minutes or until internal meat temp reaches 145F. Remove and let rest for 10 minutes.

Slice, serve, and enjoy!

Notes

When brushing honey and BBQ sauce on pork tenderloin, it isn't necessary to lift the meat off the grill to get the bottom.

Use a digital meat thermometer for a fast, accurate reading.

When checking temps, put probe of thermometer into the center of the thickest portion of the meat to ensure the whole thing will cook through properly.

About This Website

Hi there! My name is Dan Phelps and I freakin' LOVE barbecue. It's my passion. I do this BBQ thing year round in the snow, rain, or blazing heat. I put care into the recipes I post and am meticulous about the products I review. I feel I've learned a good amount through trial and error and I encourage you to do the same. This is how we grow. Now that we've officially bonded, I look forward to growing on this journey with you!

Thanks for coming to visit and don't forget to follow me on Instagram (@learningtosmoke)!